Pruitt lives in a city that is typically dominated by a maritime tropical air mass. After listening to the weather update, he le
arns that a maritime polar air mass is approaching his city. Which statement explains this movement of air? Air masses move from west to east in the Northern Hemisphere.
Air masses move from colder areas to warmer areas.
Air masses move from high-pressure areas to low-pressure areas.
Two air masses merge into one and share the properties of both original air masses.
Air masses move from high-pressure areas to low-pressure areas.
Explanation:
Pruitt’s city must be located more or less within the equator for it to be dominated by maritime tropical air mass. This region receives ample sunlight throughout the year due to the relative positon of the sun. Its atmosphere is therefore generally highly heated than that of the polar regions. The air in the tropics region becomes less dense and rises into upper atmosphere. The denser and cooler maritime polar air mass from the poles moves in to replace the rising air in the tropics hence creating incoming cooler winds. This is how trade winds are created across the globe distributing energy around the world to a more or less homeostatic level.
